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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28950273">The Sister I Always Wanted</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SSA_SarahSunshine/pseuds/SSA_SarahSunshine'>SSA_SarahSunshine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Anxiety, Behavioral Analysis Unit (Criminal Minds), Best Friends, Cute, Emotional, F/F, Family, Fluff, Original Character - Freeform, Original Female Character - Freeform, Other, Rain, Self-Loathing, Sisters, Sweet, The BAU Team as Family (Criminal Minds), The BAu - Freeform, close friends, criminal minds - Freeform, good feelings, just fluffy stuff, relationship, self insert sort of</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:09:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,920</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28950273</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SSA_SarahSunshine/pseuds/SSA_SarahSunshine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kassidy Hughes is my Criminal Minds OC. She's fun and has a personality that's too specific to be a Y/N type of character, hence her having a name and story. This is just a little blurb.</p><p>I really wanted to write about the relationship between Kassidy and Emily, or how I’d love to imagine it anyway. This takes place during the beginnings of their relationship, soon after they met. It might get mentioned in my main fic at some point, but it isn’t necessary for the story. It’s just self-indulgent fluff for me.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Emily Prentiss/Original Character(s), Emily Prentiss/Original Female Character(s), Emily Prentiss/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Sister I Always Wanted</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It probably wasn’t normal, or sane, to show up at the doorstep of a coworker Kassidy barely knew, especially at 2:00 in the morning, in the rain, soaking wet. But, here she was, arms wrapped around herself as she stared at the apartment building’s front door. She didn’t grab a jacket when she had sought out comfort, and she was regretting it. Her hair was drenched, clinging to her face and the back of her neck. God, she was so stupid. </p><p>Late November in Virginia wasn’t anything like back home. She wasn’t used to the rain, the cold, the wetness of everything. If she were home in Las Vegas, she would still have the air conditioner on during the day; but now she needed a small heater in her bedroom to sleep through the night. She should have known to grab a jacket- or at least a sweater- when she started on her journey to escape the suffocating walls that were closing in on her in her apartment. It wasn’t raining at the time. Now, it was pouring. </p><p>At least the freezing sheets of water that were soaking her to the bone was good for something: it hid her tears rather well. Her red face and puffy cheeks could be explained by the cold and the rain. </p><p>She still hadn’t made a move to enter the building, instead choosing to stare at the little buttons beside the door. Each one had a number on it, corresponding to the apartment number inside. She knew which one she needed but couldn’t make herself press it. </p><p>God, why was she here? She lifted her chin towards the sky and closed her eyes, letting the sting of the water wash away her tears. Maybe moving to Quantico was a bad idea after all. She couldn’t handle the pressure of not being able to save everyone. She couldn’t be the woman her father wanted her to be. She couldn’t-</p><p>“Kass?” </p><p>Snapping her head towards the door, she saw Emily standing there, a black nightgown hugging her figure, a gun in her hands. She lowered her weapon gracefully and grabbed Kassidy’s arm, tugging her into the foyer of the building and out of the rain, “What are you doing here? My neighbor woke me saying some homeless person was standing on the steps- God, why aren’t you wearing a jacket?”</p><p>Kassidy didn’t realize she was shivering until she was suddenly out of the rain. She blinked a couple of times, her hands trembling as she fumbled to grab the hem of her shirt for comfort, “I-I’m so so sorry… so sorry Em,” she started, her bottom lip quivering from emotion, “I um, didn’t mean to scare anyone-”</p><p>Emily wrapped her arm around her shoulders and started leading her towards a set of stairs, “Come on, let’s get you dry and warm. You’re going to get hypothermia.” </p><p>Kassidy didn’t have it in her to fight, so she allowed herself to be walked up two flights of stairs and down a hallway into Emily’s apartment. The whole way, with every step, she wondered if she should just apologize and leave. But the words wouldn’t come out. Her mouth was dry.</p><p>The apartment was warm and cozy, although not very lived in. The furniture was mostly neutral in color, and there didn’t seem to be many personalized possessions, just a photo of the team from a dinner outing on her coffee table. She sat Kassidy down on her couch and started to pull her shirt over her head, gaining a surprised gasp from the younger woman, “What are you-?”</p><p>“You’re soaked to the bone, Kass. I’m going to get you into some dry clothes. I’m sure I have something that fits,” she mused as she pulled the t-shirt free from Kassidy’s arms. Standing, she walked towards the open bedroom door, “Go ahead and take off your pants too. I should have some sweats that you can sleep in.”</p><p>Kassidy did as she was told, suddenly very self-aware at how vulnerable she was in this moment. Sitting on what was essentially a <i>strangers</i> couch in nothing but her bra and underwear, soaking wet and without any way to protect herself, she resigned to wrapping her arms around her middle and fought against her shivering. She shouldn’t even be here. She should have stayed home, in her bed, and tossed and turned all night as a normal person would. But, she supposed, she wasn’t normal. She was weird and odd, and dumb, and very un-normal. </p><p>Emily reappeared a moment later, handing her a pair of deep blue sweatpants that said ‘FBI Academy’ in white along one of the legs, and a matching shirt. Kassidy took them thankfully, dressing as quickly as her shaking hands would let her (they were definitely a couple of sizes too big, but that didn’t bother her). In that time, Emily had disappeared again, coming back with a towel and a large blanket. She signaled for Kassidy to lean forward and wrapped her hair up in the towel. Gentle, soft. Her hands were so warm, touching the sides of Kassidy’s face and pushing any stray hair out of the way. </p><p>And then, finally, Emily draped the blanket around Kassidy’s shoulders before sitting beside her on the couch, wrapping her arms around her and tugging her closer. The young agent didn’t resist- even though her mind told her to- leaning into Emily’s lap. She rested her head on her shoulder. Why was she letting Emily be so friendly to her? Why was she here, ruining her night? She felt the burn of tears trying to form in the corners of her eyes and brought her shaking hand to her face, wiping at them. </p><p>Emily started petting Kassidy’s head, her fingers gently tracing over the towel. She hummed softly for a while, waiting until the shivers that wracked through Kass’s body calmed down. Although Kassidy knew it had only been maybe 30 to 40 minutes before she allowed herself to take a deep breath, it had felt like hours.</p><p>Emily’s humming stopped. She shifted a little, causing Kassidy to sit up. The two faced each other, Emily taking Kassidy’s hands, running her thumbs over her palms. After a beat, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, “Kass? Why did you walk to my apartment in the middle of the night, in the rain? You’re lucky you didn’t get sick.”</p><p>Kassidy swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She could feel her eyes threatening to water again, pulling one of her hands away from Emily and wiping at them, sniffling, “I um,” she started, her voice quivering slightly. She gulped, “I couldn’t sleep. I can’t sleep, I mean. I keep seeing those kids,” she took a shaky breath, closing her eyes, “And um… I went for a walk to clear my head. But then I ended up here and I…” she paused, opening her eyes and letting some stray tears streak down her face, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have come. You need your sleep, and I just ruined your night. I’m so sorry,” she hiccuped. </p><p>She was expecting anger, or confusion, or maybe even annoyance from Emily. Maybe pity. But instead, she saw understanding. Emily’s dark eyes were soft, warm, and comforting. She let out a breath she had been holding, “Oh, honey,” she replied, using her thumb to wipe a tear away, “you aren’t the first one to end up on my doorstep because of nightmares.”</p><p>Kassidy shook her head, “Not nightmares,” she insisted, “Just… bad thoughts.”</p><p>“Ah,” Emily started to undo the towel from Kassidy’s head and pulled it away, revealing mostly-dry somewhat-damp and unruly curls. She brushed some of those blonde curls from Kassidy’s face, tucking a strand behind her ear, “Bad thoughts, or nightmares, or whatever demons you’re fighting; you’re not alone. You’re so young and so inexperienced to this side of the world,” she hummed, focusing now on tugging the blanket tighter around Kassidy’s shoulders, “you remind me of me.”</p><p>“I do?” Kassidy sniffled, wiping at her nose. Emily smiled, and her eyes shimmered with memories, “Yes. When I was your age, I wanted to save the world too. I wanted to put away all the bad guys and be a hero. I think everyone in the BAU was like that,” she thought for a moment, her eyes glancing towards the only photo in the room. “We all want to be heroes,” she said again, “and we all learn in time that we can’t always <i>be the hero</i> in every case. We don’t win them all. But, it’s worth going back to work every single day for the ones we do win.” </p><p>Kassidy nodded slowly, her eyes feeling warm and puffy. She used the blanket to wipe at her face. She was exhausted. The walk to Emily’s apartment had taken maybe 45 minutes, most of it spent crying in the rain. Her body was feeling heavy. </p><p>“I’m just so sorry that your first case with us wasn’t a good one,” Emily said quietly, pulling Kassidy to her in an embrace. Kassidy snaked her hands out of the blanket and wrapped them around Emily’s waist, her head landing heavily on her chest. </p><p>“I’m sorry that you saw those kids- you weren’t supposed to be at the scene. That was a decision I made because I wanted you to see what it was like to work in the field. Hotch took my advice, and it was wrong. And for that, I am so, so sorry.”</p><p>Kassidy didn’t know why, but she felt herself smile a little, “No, it’s not your fault. You um, kind of reminded me of a sibling convincing their parents that your little sister could do big kid stuff too, you know?” She was thinking back to how Hotch had his arms crossed over his chest, his lips in a thin frown. It was such a disapproving dad look. He kept shaking his head, telling Emily that Kassidy hadn’t even received her gun yet, let alone ever been in the field before. But Emily had insisted, saying she would watch over Kassidy. It felt like watching a big sister beg to allow the little sister to go to the movies too. <i>I’ll be responsible for her,”</i> Emily had said. Hotch finally caved, telling Kassidy to be careful. And she had been extra careful, actually. They just didn’t know what would be waiting for them at the UNSUBs home.</p><p>Emily chuckled a little, a hand coming to the back of Kassidy’s head and petting her hair. It felt nice, comforting. She found herself closing her eyes, relaxing into the embrace even further. The tension in her shoulders released.</p><p>“Do you have siblings?” Emily asked. She shook her head, mumbling, “No. I’m a single child. I remember begging my mom for an older sister when I was 6 or 7, though. I didn’t understand that she couldn’t just go get one for me,” she smiled more at the memory. She was so tired.</p><p>Emily giggled again, humming in thought, “Yeah, I’m a single child too. I kind of wished I had siblings when I was young. We moved around a lot, so it would have been nice to have a friend everywhere I went,” she mused. </p><p>Kassidy spoke quietly before thinking, her words coming out in a whisper, “You can be the big sister I always wanted if you want.”</p><p>Emily froze, her hand still in Kassidy’s hair. She blinked once, twice, before glancing down at the young woman who was curling into her lap. Kassidy’s lips were barely parted, her breathing even and deep. She had fallen asleep- in what- a second after saying that?</p><p>Emily watched her for a moment, thinking about this situation she somehow ended up in. This wasn’t the first time she comforted a coworker or friend after a bad case. Hell, it wasn’t the first time she had a girl wearing <i>her</i> clothes curled up in her lap. But, this <i>was</i> the first time someone suggested that their relationship could be more meaningful than friends. Not lovers, but something else beautiful and special: family. </p><p>It was an odd feeling, but nothing unwelcome. It wasn’t scary or unsettling, like she thought it might be, especially considering she barely knew the girl sleeping in her lap at almost 4:00 in the morning. But something felt kind of right about it, about the idea of being her “big sister.” She recalled the first time she met Kassidy only a month ago and knowing from that moment on that she wanted to protect her, to teach her, to be her friend. </p><p>Kassidy was shy and awkward, much like Spencer had been at the beginning. But after opening up a little, she was also sweet, colorful, and friendly. She memorized everyone’s favorite coffee orders in the first week at the office, and she tried <i>oh so hard</i> to make Hotch like her, doing everything in her power to get on his good side. She was funny, quirky, and smart. During her second week, she had convinced everyone to go out to dinner; even Spencer came along. She convinced the team to make weekly dinners when they could, and Hotch agreed to it. She was someone that Emily was glad to have on the team, and as her friend. </p><p>And maybe, as a little sister too. </p><p>So, she smiled, laying the sleeping girl down on the couch and placing a pillow under her head. She went back to her own bed, where Sergio was curled up in her spot, and she fell asleep wondering what this might mean for her. </p><p>In the morning, Kassidy awoke to the smell of coffee. She stared at the room before her, blinking a few times, her mind trying desperately to catch up with the events of the previous night. Where was she?</p><p>Oh right, at Emily’s. She must have fallen asleep. Sitting up with a yawn, she glanced over the edge of the couch towards the kitchen. Emily smiled and approached her with a steaming mug, “Here. I don’t have any creamer here, but I put a lot of sugar in it like I’ve seen you do,” she offered. Kassidy took it carefully, her face warming up with embarrassment, “Oh, um, thank you,” she replied. </p><p>Emily sat down in a chair, sipping her own coffee, “So, how did you sleep?”</p><p>“Um,” Kassidy bit her lip, her embarrassment growing. The prickling of anxiety was beginning in her chest, making her feel trapped. “I um,” she swallowed, “fine, I think. I am so sorry for falling asleep here, Em- I didn’t mean to. Gosh, I can’t believe I did that- I’ll go home right now if you want me too-”</p><p>“Kass,” Emily leaned forward, placing a hand on Kassidy’s shoulder, “It’s okay. You’re fine. I’m glad you stayed the night.” </p><p>Kassidy blinked in surprise. Her anxiety didn’t disappear fully, but it lessened a little. She was so confused, Emily didn’t hate her or think she was weird for showing up unannounced in the middle of the night? Then she had to borrow her clothes, and fell asleep on her couch, in her space. God, she was just being nice. Clearly, Kassidy overstepped some boundaries and-</p><p>A cat rubbed against her leg. She looked down at the black creature as it meowed at her, its big eyes looking right into hers. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she reached down and pet along it’s back, eliciting a purr from it. </p><p>“His name is Sergio,” Emily said, smiling over her mug. “He likes you.”</p><p>“Hi Sergio,” Kassidy spoke carefully, rubbing under his chin. He jumped onto the couch and started kneading at the blanket that still covered half of her body, his claws going in and out of the material. “Are you making biscuits?” She giggled a little and kept petting him. She felt calm. </p><p>Emily watched the two of them for a moment before speaking again, “Kass, do you remember what you said to me last night, before falling asleep?”</p><p>Kassidy glanced up at her and shook her head, “No? I don’t know. I remember we were talking about being single kids, though,” she hummed, feeling the soft fur of Sergio under her palm. He laid down in her lap. </p><p>“Yeah,” Emily confirmed. She seemed to be debating something, but chose to smile instead, “Do you wanna go get some breakfast? There’s this cute little cafe nearby that I like to go to when I get the chance. I can text Penelope and JJ and see if they want to come too?”</p><p>Kassidy’s eyes lit up, the idea of food making her stomach growl, “Oh yes, that sounds good. Um, maybe I should go home and take a shower first?” She glanced down at herself, “And get some of my own clothes?”</p><p>“Nah,” Emily laughed, “You look fine. I’ll drop you off at home after we get breakfast. Come on, I’ll text them now. I’m sure Penelope will want to come, at least.”</p><p>Kassidy smiled, nodding. The ball of anxiety that made itself known in her chest was still there, but it was much smaller now. Maybe Emily did actually like her, and didn’t think she was weird or strange or stupid? </p><p>Maybe they could be friends, after all. And, maybe, Emily could always be there for her like she was last night. Like an older sister would be, she thought. </p><p>That would be nice.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading! I did not edit this or reread it whatsoever so hopefully it's not horrible lmao</p></blockquote></div></div>
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